Animal trap



Sept. 19.51 J. u. LEHN 2,568,344

' ANIMAL TRAP Filed April 26, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. t/OH/V U L EHN Maw ATTOR/VEX Sept. 18, 1951 J. u. LEHN 2,568,344

ANIMAL TRAP Filed April 26, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. (/omv U- LEI-IN ATTORNEY Sept. 18, 1951 J. u. LEHN 2,568,344

ANIMAL TRAP Filed April 26, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 112 127125135\ 121 111 137 125 r m I INVENTOR. 142 j m 141 dam/1445M m 1117 BY 1 Mina ATTORNEX J. U. LEHN ANIMAL TRAP Sept. 18, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 26, 1946 INVENTOR. (/OHN 1/. L EHN ATTOE/VEX Patented Sept. 18 1951 ANIIWAL TRAP John U. Lehn, Lititz, Pa., assignor to Animal Trap Company of America, L

of Pennsylvania ititz, Pa., a corporation Application April 26, 1946, Serial No. 665,061

' 11 Claims. (01. 43-90) This invention relates to animal traps and particularly to spring traps of the pivoted jaw type.

In general, the invention has among its ob-- jects the provision of traps which are strong and durable, which can be readily and economically manufactured and assembled, and which can be readily tripped under predetermined operating conditions while effectively resisting accidental or premature tripping when being set, baited or placed in position, and which may be set and baited with ease and safety.

A more specific object is the provision of a trap which will increase the safety factor in the baiting thereof. In baiting traps it is common practice to hold the latch member and the bait pedal in engagement by upward pressure on the latter. This is satisfactory so long as no slipping or other accident occurs, but has in the past resulted in injury to the operators finger or fingers exerting this pressure, due to the inability of the operator to remove his finger quickly enough from the path of the jaws. Various protective expedients have been resorted to, but these all present difilculties because of their complicated nature or their failure to provide full protection.

Pursuant to the present invention, there is provided an exceedingly simple and highly effectivemeans to this end, comprising an element associated with the bait pedal, as, for example, an extension thereon accessible by a finger extending in the path of movement of a bail or other latch member, so that the latch member will of necessity push the finger out of the path of the jaws before it permits the jaws to close. In certain of its more specific aspects the invention provides such means in combination with a bail which is of a length sufficient to exert removing pressure on a finger disposed anywhere in a wide arc, as well as exerting restricting pressure on the jaws at points near their outer portion. Other features of the invention include a particularly efiective arrangement of the parts and a particularly satisfactory means of securing them in place, to provide-asimple and strong construction that can be inexpensively manufactured.

. In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side view of a trap exemplifying the invention, the same being shown in set position, and

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section taken approximately on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the bait pedal and adjacent portions of the base plate showing the pivotal mounting of the bait pedal. V

t Fig. 5 is a side view'of the trap in sprung posi- Fig. 6 is a side-view similar to Fig. 1 but show ing a modification of my invention.

Fig. 7 is a top view of the trap shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a cross section on the line 88 in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a central vertical section taken approximately on the line 9-9 in Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a side view showing the trap of Figs. 6 to 9 in sprung position.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to,5 of the drawings comprises a lower spring 1 and an upper spring 8. The springs are secured to each other and to a base plate 9 by means of rivets In and II, extending through the base plate and both springs. Jaws I2 and I3 extend through an opening M in the upper spring in the spring position of the trap. The ends of the jaws are mounted in pivotal apertures i5 and 16 in a lug H, and apertures l8 and IS in a lug 20. As shown in the drawings, lugs I! and 20 are formed by the upturned ends of the lower spring'l. The trap is provided with trip means shown as a trip or bait pedal 23, which is pivotally mounted on the base plate 9 and has a bait pan 2i and the usual detent 24 adapted to receive a pivoted locking bail 25 having leg portions for engaging the jaws I2 and I3 respectively. It will be seen that the jaws have straight portions at their ends adjacent the bail. The bail extends substantially the entire spread of these straight portions and considerably more than half of the complete spread of the jaws, thereby holding the jaws down particularly effectively. In addition it cooperates with especial effectiveness with the trip pin, hereinafter to be described. To assist these actions, the ends 26 of the bail enter the pivotal apertures in lugs 21 on the base plate 9 from the outside of the lugs. The upper surface of the bail is desirably flattened at 28 to increase the sensitivity of the trap.

An important feature of the invention is the provision of a projection or trip-pin 29 on the bait pedal 23. This greatly decreases the danger involved in setting and baiting the trap. It will be seen that the trip-pin projects rearwardly and upwardly. Downward pressure with the finger on the trip-pin will lift the bait pan and cause the detent 24 to engage and hold the bail. The finger may be safely pressed on the trippin 2'9 in contrast to forward parts of the bait pedal or the bait pan, since the jaws cannot close without throwing the bail back. Thus a finger pressed on the trip-pin 29 will be in the path of movement of the bail and will necessarily be pushed out of the Way of the jaws by the bail, so that substantial danger to theoperator in setting the trap is effectively elimi= hated.

As will be seen, the trip-pin 29 extends into the area circumscribed by the movement of the bail. This provides a highly desirable arrange.- ment, sincethe bail will push the users fingers free easily and efiectively. However, the invention in its broader aspects contemplates the provision of such a member; at any oi a yariety of points, access to which is had through the area circumscribed by the bail, It will also be noted that the trip-pin is at the rear of the pivot point of the bait pedal and that the bail is caught at a point forwardly of the tripp n and ab ve t e pi ot. point.-

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fi s. 1 to f the drawin th bas l t which pivotally Suppprts the bait pedal 2.3, and the l k e l 2 i a so rovi ed with per eet ard e tendin ne tieh w i r engaged by a pivot shaft 32 of a leg embracing uar 33- The l g sha d ma be o th ne l type shown in U. .3. Patent No, 2 2l6,9.l8 granted to erm n ae and myse is guar o d narily comprises a single piece of wire or other suitable material bent in Ueshape and having its ends provided with eyes 34 to engage the pivot shaft'32. A oil spring has one end engaging the base plate 9 and the other end forms a spring actuating arm 36 t uter e d 9f wh h is obfe ely connected with o e arm oi the lee guard 33, so that the h e w l te d t there th ua d in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig, I. When the trap is in set position the ltflg guard .33 lies underneath the jaws of the trap, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When the trap is sprung (Fig. 5), the jaws grip the leg or other portion'oi the animal while the guard 33 swings upwardly and engages the body of the animal to hold the animal away from the leg or other portion that is caught in the trap, as explained in the above mentioned patent.

The base plate 9 is also provided with an upwardly extending portion 31 to whioh an anchor chain 38 is swivelly attached. It will thus be seen v that the base plate comprises a single compact member that provides pivotal support for the bait pedal, the locking bail and the leg guard, as well as means for anchoring the trap. Moreover, it

will be noted that the lower spring l, the upper spring 8 and the base plate -9 are all secured together merel by two rivets i and H which extend through all three members. This dispenses with the need of welding or other types of fastening, and provides an extremely simple and inexpensive, yet strong construction.

A further embodiment of my invention is shown in Figs. 6 to 10 in which corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numbers as in Figs. 1 to with the addition of 100. The trap is shown in set position in Figssfi to 9 and in sprung position in Fig. 10, but with the leg guard still held. It is similar to the embodimentalready de.-. scribed but differs in several .respectsas will be eihte o b wn ddi i nal ieethreei the eh hed hleh i lustreted in F g 6 t 0 s the del yedeet en of the leg guard. If the leg guard acts too quickly e he tr p is p ng, e f e exerte b he leg guard swinging upwardly against the hardy of the an m l may in ome i s nees. li tthe a mal but o e t p before the jaws have grip ed it secu e y. To prev n the lesseteham h l in th s nne t eg ehardeithe trap shown iaF gsfi to lOis released'and actuated in such a way that 4 its action is delayed until after the jaws have completely closed and the animal is securely held.

The leg guard 133 of the trap illustrated in Figs. 6 to 10 is slightly longer than is shown in Figs. 1 to 5 so that it extends beyond the free end of the npper spring I08. The guard is also preferably narrower and may be tapered as shown so that it narrower at its free end than adjacent its pivots. The broad base and somewhat triangular shape of the leg guard give it greater strength and, rigidity. The bait pedal IN is preferably rectangularas shown so that it will not interfere with the leg guard and will permit the use of a narrower leg guard which embraces the leg of the anim l ma le lyi the p i s m od mejh a spr n 5 su eund he pi ot sha t iii? of the leg guard ten'dsto swing the guard upward ly in a e e kwi e dire i n as. vi wed in Fig. 6.

When the trap in set position (Figs. 6 to 9) leg uard 13.3 i h lddown a n t. the action of its spring l35 by a delayed action element .wl'nlehv em o ly a re easeb y o d t e leg shard until after the trap has been sprung. The delayed action element can be in various forms such as a cli or ba bu is shown y W y of example. in the form of a pin I40 which passes over the arms of the leg guard and under the free end portion of the upper spring N18. The end 0,1 th spring is preferably curved down slightly as shown so that the delayed action pin is not accidentally o ced ut b th sure exe t d by h s ng 35- Ohe e d o h de d action pin is p o id d w th n e M1 y whi he pin is at.- tached to the anchor chain [38 at a point sulfa ficientl removed from the point at which the Chain is a c ed t th ap as t leave slash. in tha i n o e cha n b w said be when the trap is in set position. The ehain swivelly attached to the upturned lug ill of the lower spring 97. Hence in this embodiment the lug 3'! of the base plate 9, shown in Figs. 1 to 5. is not necessary.

When the trap is'sprung by an animal pressing on the bait pan I21, the jaws H2 and H3 are released and immediately closed on the animals leg or other'portionof its body. The leg guard is still held down by the delayed action pin 149',

as illustrated in Fig. 10. However, when the animal starts to struggle in an efiort to get out oi the trap it pulls against the anchor chain L38 which has been secured to a tree, stake or other anchor. The tension of the anchor chain pulls the pin I60 out from between the leg guard and the projecting end of the upper spring Hi8 so that the leg-guard is released and swings upwardly to embrace the upper portion of the aniinals'leg and press against its body to prevent wringing off."

The free end portion of the delayed action pin I40 is preferably provided with a head or bent portion M2 to prevent the pin from being drawn out endwise from between the leg guard and the spring I08.

swings the pin out-past the end of the spring-to release the .leg guard cleanly. If the pin were to be pulledout endwise, the leg guard would start to swing up as soon as one end of the pin had.

l r an m of he le uard with the result t he Pin mishtbeeeme ammed between th Shrine and h bth rer Q the sha dapa rom th di fe en es pqihte h t herein;

helee stru tien. ope at n nd e a te esqthe ap of Fi s. o .0,are.es.s h a t e Shllftfifi those of the trap shown in Figs. rm 5. It w ill he understood that the two embodiments illustrated Hence a pull on the anchor chain in the drawings are merely by way of example and that features of one embodiment are interchangeable with those of the other. For example, the anchor chain 38 of the trap shown in Figs. 1 to 5 can be attached to one of the lugs I? and of the lower spring 1 instead of to a lu on the base plate 9. Likewise the trap of Figs. 1 to 5 can be provided with a leg guard having a delayed action to prevent its actuation immediately upon the "springing of the trap. It will be further understood that the shape and proportions of the leg guard and other parts of the trap can be varied as desired depending on the intended use of the trap and other factors. The

leg guard may, if desired, be omitted in which case I prefer to anchor the trap by an anchoring chain attached to one of the lugs of the lower spring I. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that still other changes may be made in carrying out my invention as defined by the append-ed claims.

This application is a continuation in part of my former application, filed on September 28, 1945, and given Serial No. 619,032, and now aband-oned.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a trap, the combination of gripping means, trip means including a trip pedal, latch means disposed in the path of movement of said gripping means and movable thereby through a given path upon the tripping of said trip, and means on the trip pedal disposed to be readily accessible across the path of movement of said latch means.

2. A trap comprising a base, upper and lower springs, jaws pivoted on the lower spring, a trip, including a trip pedal, a bail, adapted to engage the trip to hold the trap in set position, and a projection on the trip pedal accessible through an area circumscribed by the bail in its movement.

3. In a trap, the combination of a base, a pair of opposed jaws connected therewith, spring means urging said jaws together, trip means pivotally supported above said base, a trip pin extending outwardly at the rear of the pivot point of said trip means, and latch means adapted to engage said trip means forwardly of said outwardly extending means.

4. In a trap, the combination of a base, a pair of opposed jaws connected therewith, spring means urging said jaws together, trip means pivotally supported above said base, a trip pin extending outwardly at the rear of the pivot point of said trip means, and a bail adapted to engage said trip means at a point below and forward of the end of said outwardly extending means.

5. An opposed-jaw spring trap, comprising a base, a lower spring, and an upper spring all riveted together, a lug extending upwardly from each side of the base, a bail extending outside of the lugs with its ends extending inwardly into apertures therein, and a bait pedal adapted to engage said bail and having a portion spaced from the bail and accessible through an area circumscribed by the swing of the bail.

6. A trap comprising a base, upper and lower springs riveted thereto, jaws pivoted on the lower spring, a trip, a trip pedal, a bail adapted to engage the trip to hold the trap in set position, and a projection on the trip pedal spaced from the bail and accessible through an area circumscribed by the bail in its movement.

7. A trap comprising a base, upper and lower springs, jaws pivoted on the lower spring, a trip, a trip pedal, a bail of a length greater than half the spread of the jaws and adapted to engage the trip to hold the trap in set position, and a projection on the trip pedal spaced from the bail and accessible through an area circumscribed by the bail in its movement.

8. A trap comprising a unitary metallic base, a lower spring and a superposed upper spring riveted thereto, jaws pivoted on the lower spring and adapted to extend through an opening in the upper spring, a bait pedal, a bail pivoted on the base for circuitous movement and adapted to engage said jaws and to engage said bait pedal to hold the jaws in set position, and a projection on the bait pedal spaced from the bail and extending into an area circumscribed by the bail in its movement.

9. A trap comprising upper and lower spring members, a pair of opposed jaws pivotally connected to said lower spring member and actuated by said spring members, a bail for releasably holding said jaws in set position, a bait pedal having a detent portion cooperating with said ball, and a base pivotally supporting said bait pedal and said bail, said base, upper spring member and lower spring member being superposed and held together by rivets passing through all three members.

10. A trap comprising upper and lower spring members, a pair of opposed jaws pivotally connected to said lower spring member and actuated by said spring members, a bail for releasably holding said jaws in set position, a bait pedal having a detent portion cooperating with said bail, a spring actuated leg guard, and a base plate pivotally supporting said leg guard, said bait pedal and said bail, said base plate, upper spring member and lower spring member being superposed and held together by rivets passing through all three members.

11. A trap comprising upper and lower spring members, a pair of opposed jaws pivotally connected to said lower spring member and actuated by said spring members, a bail having legsengaging both jaws for releasably holding said jaws in set position, a bait pedal having a detent portion cooperating with said bail, a flexible tension element for anchoring said trap, a spring actuated leg guard, a delayed action device slidably associated with and releasably retained in operative position by the upper spring member and the leg guard for releasably holding said leg guard in set position, said delayed action device being connected with the tension element so as to be withdrawn from operative position by the tension of said element and a base plate pivotally supporting said leg guard, said bait pedal and said bail; said base plate, upper spring member and lower spring member being superposed and held together by means passing through all three members.

JOHN U. LEI-IN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,216,919 Lehn Oct. 8, 1940 2,240,754 Briddell May 6, 1941 2,282,485 Lehn et a1 May 12, 1942 

